Rivals in French elections trade insults as marches turn violent
FRANCE: Marine Le Pen yesterday toned down plans to take France out of the European Union and the euro as her biggest rally of the French presidential campaign was overshadowed by violent May Day protests against her candidacy.
The gloves came off as the French presidential campaign entered its final week, with Emmanuel Macron, 39, an independent centrist, accusing Le Pen of belonging to ‘‘the anti-france party’’, while the far-right contender accused him of being ‘‘the people’s adversary’’.
The rallies took place as three riot police were injured, one seriously with burns, and four youths were arrested in clashes with anarchist protesters in Paris. Hooded youths threw Molotov cocktails at security forces who fired back with tear gas during the May Day marches. Held annually to celebrate workers’ rights, they this year included calls to block Le Pen from the presidency.
However, splits emerged within the main unions over what stance to adopt regarding the presidential candidates. Some factions are going against their leadership’s call to block the Front National leader, instead opting for neither Le Pen nor Macron, who is seen by many Leftists as an enemy of the worker.
The latest poll suggests that Macron will trounce Le Pen by winning 61 per cent in Sunday’s run-off, but the Opinionway poll also showed that 54 per cent felt she has had the upper hand over the past week.
Le Pen opened hostilities yesterday at a rally in Villepinte, a working-class suburb of Paris where the first key speaker was Nicolas Dupont-aignan, a Eurosceptic from outside the FN whom Le Pen has said will be her prime minister if she wins on Sunday.
Calling Macron a puppet of globalisation and Islamic fundamentalism, Le Pen dismissed him as a clone of President Francois Hollande, in whose government he served as economy minister from 2014 to 2016.
Recalling Hollande’s 2012 campaign speech in which he accused ‘‘the world of finance’’ of being the main enemy of the French people, she said: ‘‘Today the people’s adversary is still the world of finance, but this time it has a name, it has a face, it has a party, it is fielding its candidate who could be elected. He is called Emmanuel Macron’’.
Le Pen has promised a referendum on France’s membership of the EU and the euro. But yesterday she barely mentioned either pledge in her rally. She later clarified that a referendum on the EU would not be held until after the German elections in September and it could take up to 10 months to organise.
Aides said that leaving the euro was not ‘‘an urgent priority’’.
Le Pen’s pledge to reclaim sovereignty from the EU, help French workers and protect French borders has won support in rural and former industrial areas.
- Telegraph Group